


An Open Palm, or A Closed Fist?

by ThatScottishShipper



Series: Fanfic Fortnight [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged up Aang, Aged up Zuko, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Don’t post to another site, Elements, Enemies to Lovers, Exposition, Fire Nation Lore (Avatar), Fix-It, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Parallels, Time Skips, What-If, request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2021-01-30 00:37:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21419308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatScottishShipper/pseuds/ThatScottishShipper
Summary: As Roku held a hand out, Sozin wonders if he can really throw away a whole lifetime of friendship, and love, for the Fire Nation...A what-if canon divergence if Sozin saves Roku on that volcano.*Fanfic Fortnight request*
Relationships: Aang/Zuko (Avatar), Roku/Sozin (Avatar)
Series: Fanfic Fortnight [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1537399
Comments: 10
Kudos: 227





	An Open Palm, or A Closed Fist?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fromthebeginningthen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fromthebeginningthen/gifts).

Unlike the Avatar, Sozin’s heart was seized by a scorching flame, incinerating him from the inside out. His ambitious life essence, his energy, was clouded by ash, starving him of his heart’s desire in those long lasting years.

Surrounded by volcanic clouds and falling earthly debris, everything he was consumed him, swallowed him in bellowing hellfire.

_ ‘Leave him,’ _ a voice inside him demanded, staring down at the weakened Avatar. _ ‘Leave him.’ _

_ Yes _. Of course he should.

He was the Lord of the Fire, but Roku was the Avatar, casting away his roots to embrace the lives of others. Sozin should have realised it sooner...

Born on the same day, his brother by another mother was torn from him by cruel destiny, only to become divided by four hearts. It took Sozin time to realise that Roku harboured space in his heart for everyone else… but not for him.

As he stared down at the man, weakened in an attempt to save his life, he realised he _ hated _ the man he loved. Perhaps not who he was, but rather, _ what _ he had become.

The Avatar.

The Fire Lord hated the Avatar, because that destiny was slowly taking the one thing he cared about away from him.

He hated it.

He hated the Avatar, and all other Nations.

Since their 16th birthday, Roku was torn a little more from each day, until the nights grew too long, too unbearing. From sheer desperation, enforced by the power hungry political pushers of the time, the newly crowned Fire Lord even though that, by “spreading the prosperity of the Great Fire Nation,” Roku might somehow return to him.

If Roku saw that his ill conceived ideas of the Nations kept separate were foolish, and that it kept them close, he might change his mind. He started with the Earth Kingdom first.

That only enraged Roku, they fought…

And Roku won.

Sozin couldn’t stand it no longer.

The animosity grew with every absent year, he longed for Roku, and despised him all the same. He was unable to fathom how the same man, his soul mate, could treat him this way?

Right up to this moment, teeth clenched, Sozin hated what the Avatar legacy did to him, robbing him from everything he loved.

The only thing he loved.

Even Roku’s Bending abilities from other elements saved Sozin’s life, leaving him teetering emotionally upon a precipice.

Especially now he towered over Roku, that trembling hand reached out, begging for his help.

That hand he longed to hold all these years encompassed everything he was about to throw away. A lifetime of friendship, a lingering longing, too long with words unspoken.

All because the burning ambition and corruptive jealousy of losing one man consumed him like a hellish inferno. Behind him, he heard the sizzling flames pressuring him, that collective hissing becoming words.

Words that taunted him all these years. “Kill him. You must kill him.

_ Kill them. _”

The Avatars, Roku, and by extension, the last thread of his dwindling humanity. They sent him there, knowing the Avatar’s affection for their Fire Lord made him weak, potentially placing them both him a perilous position.

But it served a purpose towards a greater one, and Sozin knew that. He had been told that many times, steeling himself in the fires of ruthless ambition.

But that hand, those eyes… they weakened him so.

_ ‘Can I do it?’ _ he often asked himself. _ ‘Can I really leave him to…?’ _

In an instant, the Fire Lord swore he felt all the elements inside him, channeled by the volcano.

His solid body was the hard volcanic rock, his expanding lungs the whirling wind, his hot veins were the coursing lava, and his beating heart exploded from the very mouth of the volcano.

Is this what it felt for Roku, an Avatar, streaming with life? What did he feel for him?

As the familiar presence of a dragon swam through the skies behind him, offering him sanctuary, Sozin froze.

Those pleading eyes broke him, but nowhere near as much as the burning hand taking the Avatar’s did.

Then Sozin felt wind and fire, melting into one swallowing element as they took to the skies. Holding Roku in his arms, the Fire Lord - incensed with anger, and another untempered emotion - shook him.

“Curse you, Avatar,” he growled, knowing his life in the Fire Nation was over. “Curse your stupid beating heart, and your nobility. Because of you, I…”

He couldn’t finish, silenced by lips upon his.

xxx

Fire and Wind…

On a proud pilgrimage, an Airbender and a Firebender sought a legendary statue near the volcanic shrine. Very few dared venture to the solitary place of worship, nestled in the heart of rocky paths and turbulent earth.

But these two young men did.

In an era still rocked by uncertainty, with one unstable Fire Lord replacing another, sometimes the most unlikely of friendships took place. Warily, the Airbender ascended towards the shrine, his heart lifting with every step.

Could the answers he needed be at the summit?

As for the tempered Firebender, he had no idea what brought him here, except determination and sheer stubbornness to succeed. After all, he hunted down this light headed idiot for the longest time only to find himself by his side.

The lava rivers bubbled furiously along with his heat, shadowed with doubt, but hungry for answers. And with the Airbender equally as lost, what on Earth did they hope to achieve?

...Together?

He grimaced, expecting nothing except a bad headache and the biggest unsolved mystery of all. But that was his own burden to bear.

They journeyed towards the smoked heavens, spared only by the Airbender’s bubble, protecting them from the oxygen starved crown of the mountains. With the Firebender effortlessly manipulating the streams of lava from harm's way, they drew closer to the peak.

Once they entered the shrine, they saw the statue, illuminated by a row of candles at the foot of it. A tribute towards two men denying the political climate of the time, finding solidarity together.

And love, Aang learned much later.

While Zuko was taught nothing of the man erased from the pages of Fire Nation history, by Sozin’s predecessor, Aang discovered glimpses into the truth of the last Avatar, leading him to this moment.

Finally, they approached the commemorative statue, bravely standing the test of time. Former Fire Lord Sozin and his Avatar Roku.

Without hesitation, Aang kneeled down in respect and meditation. He ushered for his travelling companion to do the same. Zuko rolled his eye, huffing indignantly, but he obeyed.

The calm settled, and just before Zuko was ready to storm out of the stupid little shrine, wondering what on Earth Uncle Iroh was thinking demanding he come here, he _ felt _ it.

Heat rising.

But it was not like the blistering, scorching heat outside, birthed from the volcano. This heat felt… familiar, comforting somehow.

When Zuko dared to crack open an eye, he saw two spirits before the statue, and he immediately knew who they were.

The Former Fire Lord, Sozin, and the Former Avatar, Roku.

“You came,” the spirit of a Roku said with a smile. “Precisely as I knew you would.”

“And about time too,” Sozin’s spirit added, unable to mask his own grin.

Lively as ever, Aang wasted little time springing to his feet. “Avatar Roku!” Then he hastily elaborated further, not wishing to leave out his companion spirit. “Master Sozin! We were sent here to-”

As Aang continued to bleat on about their mission, to mend the fractured lands, Zuko realised just how much Aang knew compared to him. He glared at the Former Fire Lord spirit, aware he faced the man deemed traitor by his own blood.

This man betrayed the Great Fire Nation, opting to run away with the enemy rather than do his part. Why did Uncle Iroh want him to meet this man? As if reading his thoughts, the elderly spirit held a hand out, his energised aura sent out towards the young man. Zuko visibly tensed.

“Ah, a child of the Fire,” Sozin greeted, turning towards Roku. “That energy is unmistakable.”

Roku himself nodded. “And a child of the Air, a free spirit bound by destiny. What a pair.”

As the spirits laughed amongst themselves, Zuko felt his temper soar. He stamped his foot, flames licking the imprint on the ground as he barked at them. Meanwhile, Aang watched the entire scene with a curious fascination.

“What’s so funny?” Zuko demanded, glaring at them.

Once the laughter ceased, Roku took it upon himself to enlighten the young men on their folly. “You two, even with two different energies, remind us of ourselves.”

Aang cocked his head, and Sozin explained, gazing fondly at Roku. “He’s saying you’re the same as we were.”

Clarity dawned on Aang, first the understanding of their clashing dynamic, then the close friendship, and then...

Zuko felt it before he saw it. The warmth flooding inside a confined space, but he swore it leaked everywhere. When he turned to Aang, he realised _ he _ was the source of the heat.

The Airbender, unleashing tingling heat throughout the tiny shrine.

Flushed cheeks, bringing out the startled comprehension in his eyes, as they darted back and forth, anywhere but at Zuko.

_ ‘We’re the same?’ _

Slowly, Zuko caught on, and his face grew hot, but he stared down his aggressors. He snarled, but anything he hoped to say was drowned out by embarrassment, and the smug, satisfied looks of two all knowing spirits.

“At any rate,” Roku said, with a glance towards his lover that said _ give them time _. “We are honoured to receive your visit. We have waited a long time for this…”

The spirit of Sozin lounged along the foot of his own statue, smirking. “And it only took you a century or so.”

Comfortably, Aang received their attention with a bow, then returned to his feet, cheeks still warm, while Zuko folded his arms, a million questions running through his head.

“You have come for a purpose,” Roku began, sitting with Sozin. “I understand your apprehension, but fear not. You’ve taken the first big step by coming here.” His dark eyes twinkled proudly. “Together.”

Fumbling his fingers, Aang dared a glance at Zuko, then focused his gaze towards the two spirits. “We were told to come here, but why?”

Something darkened in Sozin’s expression. “To carry on a legacy founded on hope as opposed to fear.”

The Fire Bender sat quietly, prepared to listen to stories of old, things he already knew, and had drilled into his heads since he was little. Then again, the Former Fire Lord and Avatar together, hand in hand, offered enough doubt in his head to allow him to listen.

After all, all he truly knew was from his father declaring his Great Grandfather a traitor, stricken from the pages of history. Only word spread about his treachery, that he chose the side of the Avatar over his own Nation, with the Avatar himself a traitor.

When the Fire Nation chose their replacement Prince, they chose well. A ruthless man that truly put his people before the inferior Nations.

Zuko frowned, knowing that was his - and his sister’s - expected Destiny.

A voice called to him, startling him from his thoughts. “You need not be bound by doctrine, son of the Fire. There is another path.”

“And what can you teach me?” Zuko challenged him, tapping his fingers in irritation. Inside, his thoughts tormented him. _ ‘What can working with him hope to achieve?’ _

“Everything,” Sozin answered, causing Zuko to jump.

“Stop reading my thoughts!”

The elderly spirit smirked, a flicker of fire flirting along his long beard. “My apologies. I only wish to impart my experienced wisdom upon you, as someone who has walked the walk as it were.”

“And I,” Roku began, addressing the Airbender, “wanted to amend by past stubbornness, but it seems that I have little to worry about.”

“What do you mean?” Aang propped forward, hungering for knowledge.

The Avatar spirit smiled. “In the past, Sozin and I were close as brothers. Born on the same day, thick as thieves, there was no one I trusted more than this man.”

“Our sixteenth moon changed everything,” Sozin said bitterly, heartache visible on his face. “Too many years spent apart…”

A hand found his, fingers linking together, and a kindly voice willing him to calm. “No longer, Sozin, no longer.”

The Fire Lord did calm, and Roku took over. “Becoming the Avatar drew us away from one another, and by the time I returned… there had been changes within the Fire Nation.”

Curiouser and curiouser, Zuko chimed in. “What kind of changes?”

With a heavy heart, Sozin confessed everything he endured. The drastic political shift inspired by a Fire Nation borne Avatar, the desire to seize control of other lands under the guise of ‘spreading prosperity,’ the gradual shift to eliminating all Avatars standing as a threat...

And Sozin tortured into spearheading the campaign by his own family, trying his hardest to find a sliver of good in the situation, that Roku might come back to him. But then, he uncovered those behinds the scenes did not want Roku to return, and Sozin was to manipulate him to his very death.

He told the entire story, his hand trembling in Roku’s the entire time.

“...I accept responsibility for the part I played in everything,” Sozin admitted, his voice quivering. “My selfish desire to get him back, then punish him for everything, cannot be an excuse.”

Aang was speechless, and Zuko’s shocked expression unsure of who to look at, but he knew it was the truth. This terrible truth his family kept from him, fabricating the reality of it, was uncovered here.

Patting Sozin’s hand, Roku took his turn to speak. “I, myself, had a part to play in the tragedy that unfolded. I was so stubborn, never taking the time to understand what was happening behind the scenes at home… and hurting Sozin. _ My _ Sozin. At a time.” He drew silent, only to find a spectral hand stroking his cheek. “My desire for harmony might have requested… decisiveness above mercy.”

Surprised, Aang shot a look at the Former Avatar, then at Zuko, who bore an unreadable expression. Whatever he was thinking in that revealing moment, he and the Fire Lord Sozin stared at each other, as if sharing intimate knowledge.

“What do you mean?” Aang asked, a terrible storm brewing inside his stomach.

Sympathy clouded the former Avatar’s face when he rose, drifting over to Aang, and placing a kindly hand upon his shoulder. Aang shivered, but never moved.

“There was a genuine fear, at a time, that great discord would tear the Nation’s asunder. I took it upon myself to be ready, that if relations worsened, I…”

Sozin shook his head, coming over to place a comforting hand upon his lover’s shoulder. “You don’t need to be ashamed. Not after what I almost did on that volcano.” He hesitated, then spoke. “We had choices, boys. We made them, and we do not regret it. History repeats itself through the two of you. I pray you don’t regret your own choices in the days to come.”

Zuko raised an eyebrow. “Regret, huh? How do we avoid that?”

Sozin’s answer was prompt. “By offering an open hand instead of a closed fist.”

xxx

As the two spirits watched the young men leave the shrine, their youthful auras flickering with hope and curiosity, the sun melted slowly into the nearby mountains, bringing the lava rocks to glow like rubies.

“They truly are the same,” the spirit of Roku chimed, chuckling at the thought. “That Prince does remind me of a certain someone…”

Sozin tutted, rolling his sleeves, then resting his head against the Avatar he had known so dearly. Even in spiritual form, his white hair and beard tumbled like a starlight waterfall, his fiery energy accentuated by the candles dedicated to them.

“Hm. Fire and Air, a volatile pairing I must say.” Sozin closed his eyes, reminiscing of the turbulent winds carrying the smoke and ash that day he stood over Roku, an open hand held out. “Do you believe they might put an end to him and his tyranny?”

A hand tangled through Sozin’s crown of bellowing snow locks, and nearby, the candles flickered in a harmonious melody of blue, green, yellow, then back to an orange ember. His other hand found Sozin’s hand.

“As I had every faith in you, I believe in them.”

**Author's Note:**

> A Fanfic Fortnight Request for Fromthebeginningthen, who requested a Fix It with Sozin saving a Roku on that volcano, and looking into who that might change the rest of the story.
> 
> Because EVERYONE DESERVES A HAPPY ENDING. ❤️❤️❤️
> 
> This fic was initially going to be much shorter, but it really took a life of its own, especially in the Aang and Zuko section. The later part did feel like exposition by ghosts, but it does show Sozin and Zuko still together, imparting their experience to a new generation who remind them of their own selves.
> 
> The title was actually inspired by a line from Detroit: Become Human dealing with choices and whether you extend a hand or close it as a fist.
> 
> It’s been awhile since I’ve engaged with Avatar, so I hope I did my first fic justice. 👍🏻
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. ❤️❤️


End file.
